A couple for show chapter 11

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He woke up without an alarm.

Yoochan lifted his head from the pillow, glancing around.

Sleeping face-down, his face buried in the pillow, was a long-standing habit.

When he was with Joobin, it wasn’t as bad, but lately, they hadn’t been cuddling, so the old habit had returned.

His sleepy eyes slowly took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

The once-empty bedroom now had long poles and mounted cameras positioned around the room.

His eyes blinked lazily, still sluggish from sleep, until he remembered the crew installing the cameras the night before.

Nodding to himself, he muttered a quiet “ah.”

Realizing the filming had already begun, Yoochan let out a small groan and flopped back down.

Beside him, Joobin was sound asleep.

Turning his face on the pillow, Yoochan stared at Joobin.

After a moment of hesitation, he scooted closer, pressing his body against Joobin’s.

Out of habit, Yoochan rested his head on Joobin’s broad shoulder.

Almost instinctively, Joobin wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Are you really asleep?”

Yoochan’s voice, still rough with sleep, quietly asked the question, but there was no response.

It was understandable—Joobin had come home early in the morning after a packed day of fittings and script readings, even though the drama shoot hadn’t officially started yet.

Curious about how the production was going, Yoochan itched to ask questions, but he held back.

It had been a long time since Joobin’s last romance drama, and Yoochan wanted to know when filming would begin and who his co-star was.

But he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Gong Yoochan couldn’t help but press down and rub Cha Joobin’s perfectly shaped eyebrows.

No matter when he looked, those straight eyebrows were always strikingly handsome.

It felt strange.

Even though they had broken up, it didn’t quite feel like it, and yet, things didn’t feel exactly the same either, bringing an awkward unfamiliarity that kept creeping in.

If this continued, things might start to feel even more awkward.

Gong Yoochan slowly got up.

He thought it would be better to prepare breakfast for when Cha Joobin woke up rather than lying there awkwardly.

“…Just stay a little longer.”

Cha Joobin’s arms tightened around his waist, pulling him close so he couldn’t move.

Gong Yoochan paused and looked down at him.

His eyes were still closed, but the strength in his grip was undeniable.

“You’re not asleep?”

“I woke up… because you touched me.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine… Just…”

“Just?”

“Keep touching me… more.”

Cha Joobin’s voice was still thick with sleep.

Hugging Gong Yoochan tightly, he then buried his face into his chest, shifting around a bit.

Gong Yoochan blinked, slightly startled by the way Cha Joobin naturally enclosed himself in his arms. He didn’t feel like pushing him away.

It was something they’d both grown used to over the years—far more comforting than burying his face in a pillow.

Without a word, Gong Yoochan silently agreed to Cha Joobin’s request to stay a bit longer.

Using Cha Joobin’s arm as a pillow instead of a soft one, and covering himself with his warm embrace instead of a blanket, he fell asleep again.

Even half-asleep, he could feel lips briefly brush against his skin. It felt so natural that it made Gong Yoochan smile unconsciously.

“Huh…!”

Startled, Gong Yoochan suddenly sat up. When he opened his eyes again, Cha Joobin was already out of bed.

It was well past noon by then.

From outside the room, the clattering of dishes could be heard, along with the smell of delicious food.

Feeling confused, Gong Yoochan scrunched up one eye and glanced around the room in a daze.

Then, he muttered in a silly voice, “Oh… we’re filming, right.”

No wonder Cha Joobin had been acting differently.

Clicking his tongue, Gong Yoochan threw off the blankets and stood up.

Today, they were also supposed to shoot an interview for the first broadcast, and he remembered the CEO nagging him to pay attention since it was the first filming.

That meant he had to get moving.

He imagined a shot of himself coming out of his room late, the caption reading, “Yoochan wakes up after oversleeping” or something like that.

Chuckling at the thought, he heard Cha Joobin’s voice from the other side of the room.

“Looks like you slept well.”

The completely different tone snapped him awake.

Gong Yoochan forced his still sleepy eyes open and looked ahead.

Cha Joobin was standing by the stove, wearing a simple white t-shirt and shorts, with a half apron tied around his waist.

His muscular thighs, more than half visible, stood out, and he wore slippers as he looked back at Gong Yoochan.

It was an impressive sight. Gong Yoochan gave a playful wave and smiled.

“Yeah, good morning, Joobin.”

“Good morning.”

“Are you cooking?”

“Yeah. What do you want to eat?”

“Me? Scrambled eggs.”

“Just that?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you watching your weight?”

“No.”

Their conversation was short but continuous.

Gong Yoochan naturally stood next to Cha Joobin and looked over the food he had prepared.

On the stovetop, there was a pan with sizzling bagels, tomatoes, and perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs.

Impressed by the well-balanced meal, Gong Yoochan let out a small “Oh,” and Cha Joobin grinned.

“Looks good, right?”

“Yeah. The yolk is perfect.”

“Want me to make you one too?”

“I want scrambled eggs.”

“Why? I did a good job with the fried egg.”

“Scrambled eggs.”

Repeating himself playfully, Gong Yoochan grabbed a spoon and chopsticks and set them neatly on the table.

As he did so, memories of a conversation with the company popped into his mind.

The company had been worried about their breakup and had decided to go with a concept of “familiarity with a touch of secrecy” for the first episode.

Since the public loves to peek into the private lives of celebrities, and they were an official couple but hadn’t revealed much about their personal lives, the company thought the first filming should satisfy that curiosity.

No need for elaborate setups or special events—just a natural, peaceful glimpse into their daily lives.

That was the concept for the first shoot.

It wasn’t a bad idea. Instead of doing something extravagant just because it was a special occasion, sticking to something simple was much better.

So the two were staying true to the concept.

It wasn’t hard to show off their peaceful, uncontrived daily lives without trying to artificially boost ratings.

Finally, when they sat down to eat, Gong Yoochan noticed an eyelash stuck near Cha Joobin’s cheek. Without hesitation, he reached out to wipe it off, causing Cha Joobin to squint.

“What? Is there something?”

Cha Joobin opened his squinted eye and looked at Gong Yoochan.

Amused by how cute he looked, Gong Yoochan couldn’t help but laugh.

For some reason, it felt a bit embarrassing to pull his hand away immediately.

Smiling softly, he stroked Cha Joobin’s cheek.

“There was an eyelash. What time did you come in last night? I was going to wait for you, but I was too tired.”

Cha Joobin glanced down at him briefly.

Was he hinting for him to stop?

Just as Gong Yoochan hesitated, Cha Joobin suddenly rubbed his face into the palm of his hand.

“I came in around six in the morning.”

“Late night, huh?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have any schedules today.”

“Rest up then. You look a bit worn out. Didn’t put anything on your face?”

“Not yet. I thought I’d eat and then go back to sleep.”

As they talked, memories of their more affectionate days came back.

There was a time when they’d touch each other’s faces without hesitation, and even crave that touch…

Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, Gong Yoochan patted Cha Joobin’s cheek a few more times before letting his hand drop.

Just as his hand left, Cha Joobin’s lips briefly brushed against his fingertips.

As they continued their casual conversation, their simple breakfast eventually came to an end. Though it was more like brunch than breakfast, the first part of the shoot had wrapped up smoothly.

While Gong Yoochan did the dishes, Cha Joobin tidied up the house a bit.

They didn’t need to do any major cleaning since they had someone come in once a week, but Cha Joobin was busy picking up scripts scattered around the living room.

Even while doing this, the two kept up a light conversation.

It was all small talk, but the fact that they were talking so effortlessly felt strangely new to Gong Yoochan.

“We’ll start the interview soon,” a staff member suddenly announced as they entered the room, snapping Gong Yoochan out of his thoughts.

He smiled brightly, quickly pushing aside his musings about Cha Joobin.

“Oh, who goes first?”

“You’ll be doing it together.”

At that, they made their way to the interview set on the terrace, where three cameras and four staff members were waiting for them.

The director, sitting in a chair at their level, was hunched awkwardly to avoid blocking the camera angle.

“Please take a seat here. You can answer the questions individually. My voice won’t be broadcast; the questions will appear as captions, like in previous seasons.”

“Got it, we’ve seen it before.”

“As expected, you’re well-prepared.”

The producer smiled warmly.

He knew it was just a hollow compliment, but Gong Yoochan couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt.

Had the producer perhaps figured out that this show was unfolding according to a pre-written script?

He carefully observed his gaze but, fortunately, there was no sign of suspicion.

“Hello, we have actors Gong Yoochan and Cha Joobin here with us. The first shoot has started—how are you feeling?”

With that neat question, the interview began. The two actors exchanged playful smiles, as if they had planned it.

The producer of ‘Romance Diary’ watched their affectionate interaction and thought it was the perfect shot to close out the teaser.

As long as they don’t break up during the show, this season is bound to be a hit, he mused, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

He could almost hear the sound of coins clinking together, as their value—and the show’s—continued to rise.

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